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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · press · foot · drill · kid · date · hide · ground

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. press — to push
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — a practice
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — child
  10. ground — the earth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. drill — army training
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. press — a publisher

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