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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.

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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: swing · face · plane · pitch · band · temple · chest · chair

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. face — to point toward
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chair — a leader
  10. face — to confront
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a ring
  14. face — part of the head
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. band — a music group
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. swing — in golf

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