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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cabinet · pitch · hide · rush · chest · file · mug · perch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — to rob
  9. file — a tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mug — a face
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. perch — the fish
  18. file — a document
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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