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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: stand · tube · mark · capital · hide · pitch · kid · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. capital — a city
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. tube — a container
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tube — the underground
  13. capital — money
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kid — child
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mark — a trace
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. tube — in a tire

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