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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: hide · kid · bay · cabinet · straw · pitch · sharp · lash

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. kid — child
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. sharp — clever
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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