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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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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. staff — a stick
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitch — completely
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. staff — employees
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hand — help
  20. object — an aim
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. staff — employees
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rash — a series

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