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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: cold · rock · saw · wake · fine · hide · pitch · band

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rock — a stone
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — music
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cold — an illness
  20. band — a ring
  21. fine — all right
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a music group
  24. fine — high quality

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