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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 116 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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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: hide · pitch · land · ruler · perch · suit · squash · tube

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. suit — to fit
  6. squash — to crush
  7. tube — a container
  8. land — ground
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. perch — the fish
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — a country
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pitch — completely
  22. land — to come down
  23. suit — in cards
  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