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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: suit · foot · chest · hide · cold · squash · pitcher · dip

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chest — a box
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cold — an illness
  13. suit — clothes
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. suit — in cards
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. suit — to fit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. dip — to sink

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