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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: cap · bark · pitch · squash · hide · wake · chip · stick

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wake — a trail
  22. chip — for betting
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chip — in a computer

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