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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. row — a line
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. staff — employees
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tube — a container
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. row — to paddle

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