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

Word bank: hide · pitch · object · cell · last · bank

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cell — in biology
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. object — an aim
  5. bank — for money
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. object — to protest
  8. last — to go on
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bank — for money
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — final
  18. bank — of a river

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