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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 116 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: hide · chair · club · cap · bear · pitch

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cap — of ice
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. club — a group
  18. chair — a professorship

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