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

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — completely
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. shower — rain
  12. can — a tin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. can — to be able to
  19. snap — to click
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. season — of the year
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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