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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 120 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: suit · deal · squash · net · pound · hide · kid · rest

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. net — after costs
  6. deal — to handle
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. suit — in cards
  11. kid — child
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — for catching
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kid — to tease
  16. suit — to fit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. suit — clothes
  19. net — in sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pound — a weight

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