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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: bay · file · hand · rush · hide · chair · dip · pitch

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rush — hurry
  5. file — a document
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hand — help
  10. file — a tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. dip — to dunk

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