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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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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: tear · mouse · temple · pitch · ball · pit · hide · kid

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pit — in a race
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pit — a hole
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. kid — to tease

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