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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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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 · club · deal · chest · pitcher · sharp · track · squash

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. club — for golf
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. chest — a box
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. track — to keep track

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