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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: chip · fall · rash · chest · march · arm · plane · pitcher

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — the season
  4. plane — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. march — music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rash — a series
  17. march — the month
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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