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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: rash · present · pitcher · deal · bore · hide · clip · capital

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. capital — money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — the time now
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. capital — a city
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — to tire
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bore — to drill
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rash — on the 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