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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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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: deal · pitch · hide · cold · lie · foot · bark · rock

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cold — not warm
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cold — an illness
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rock — a stone
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rock — music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rock — to move gently

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