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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: race · net · pitch · chest · pound · fork · foot · rock

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rock — a stone
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rock — music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. race — humankind
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chest — a box
  15. fork — in a road
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. race — a contest
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pound — a weight

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