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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 120 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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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 · squash · track · stick · chip · bat · wax · pitch

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitch — completely
  3. track — a path
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. track — a song
  24. chip — for betting

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