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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.

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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: cap · hide · pitch · mug · content · root · chair · dip

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. content — happy
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mug — a face
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. root — of a word
  10. mug — a cup
  11. dip — to sink
  12. root — the cause
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. content — the amount
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cap — of ice

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