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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 · cabinet · land · field · squash · kid · mouse · pitch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kid — to tease
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kid — child
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. field — for sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — the sport

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