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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: scale · bay · spring · hand · can · content · pitch · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. scale — size or range
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitch — completely
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. content — happy
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — help
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. spring — of water
  18. content — the amount
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. scale — in music
  24. spring — a coil

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