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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: pitcher · file · foot · dip · cap · bound · hide · lean

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lean — thin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — of ice
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lean — to bend
  12. file — a line of people
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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