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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. saw — the tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. key — in music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — a line
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — employees
  21. key — the most important part
  22. row — to paddle
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — a stick

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