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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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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: root · hide · mine · press · club · chest · pitch · deal

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. root — of a plant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chest — of your body
  11. press — to push
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. root — of a word
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — a publisher
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitch — completely
  20. root — the cause
  21. mine — for digging
  22. press — newspapers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. club — for golf

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