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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 124 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.

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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: kid · kick · roll · chest · fine · stand · pitch · wax

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — in football
  8. fine — high quality
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. fine — all right
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pitch — completely

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