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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · wound · dip · net · chest · chair · pitch · march

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. march — music
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitch — completely
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — the month
  8. court — for sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — of law
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — a leader
  21. court — of a king
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com