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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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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rash — hasty
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rash — a series
  18. staff — employees
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. staff — a stick
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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