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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 · drill · chair · sharp · dip · kid · pitch · pitcher

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — to sink
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chair — a leader
  14. kid — child
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. drill — army training
  24. hide — animal skin

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