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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: pitch · wound · hide · foot · wave · kick · fine · kid

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kid — child
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. foot — a measure

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