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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: kid · squash · deal · pitch · pitcher · net · coach · hide

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitch — completely
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kid — child
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kid — to tease
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. squash — to crush

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