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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · date · fine · fan · cabinet · chest · mouse · pitch

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fine — all right
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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