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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: pitch · file · bound · content · hide · rash · shower · pitcher

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. content — the amount
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. file — a document
  5. rash — a series
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitch — completely
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. file — a tool
  24. bound — certain

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