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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: cap · hide · cold · spring · drill · fine · pitch · ball

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. drill — army training
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spring — the season
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cap — of ice
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cap — a hat
  22. drill — a practice
  23. spring — of water
  24. fine — high quality

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