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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.

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: hand · hide · pit · rash · cold · club · mine · rock

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rock — music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cold — not warm
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cold — an illness

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