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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: arm · capital · kid · pit · cell · can · pound · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pound — a weight
  3. capital — money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — child
  6. pit — a hole
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cell — a phone
  15. can — a tin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a city
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. arm — a part of something

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