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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 · cell · foot · season · file · squash · straw · kid

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. foot — a measure
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. kid — child
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. file — a tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — to tease
  24. season — of the year

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