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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: season · deal · hide · pitch · mouse · kid · land · bay

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kid — child
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. season — of the year
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. land — a country
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitch — completely
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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