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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
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: hide · kid · coach · spell · season · bore · pitch · straw

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spell — magic
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bore — to tire
  15. kid — child
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. kid — to tease
  19. season — in sport
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitch — completely

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