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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: squash · dip · hide · lean · row · kid · ball · bat

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. kid — child
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. row — to paddle
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ball — a dance
  15. row — a line
  16. bat — the animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. kid — to tease
  19. dip — to sink
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lean — thin
  24. hide — animal 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