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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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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: arm · leaves · kid · deal · bass · bat · pitch · hide

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bass — low music
  19. kid — child
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — to tease

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