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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: wake · pitcher · pit · key · plane · pop · hide · hand

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pop — soda
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. hand — help
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — in music
  23. pop — music
  24. pit — in a race

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