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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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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: bound · chair · rock · roll · snap · trunk · pitch · hide

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bound — certain
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. snap — to click
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — tied together
  20. roll — a list
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rock — music
  23. chair — a professorship
  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