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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: pitch · lie · hide · shower · prune · squash · capital · drill

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. drill — the tool
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pitch — completely
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — the sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. squash — to crush
  19. capital — a city
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. capital — money
  23. drill — army training
  24. prune — the fruit

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