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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.

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: bat · hide · pitch · calf · lie · shower · press · saw

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitch — completely
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. press — a publisher
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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