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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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468
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kid — child
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stock — shares
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. band — a music group
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stock — goods
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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