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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: staff · row · chest · hide · snap · roll · pit · plane

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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 fruit stone
  4. roll — a list
  5. row — a line
  6. chest — a box
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to click
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — a hole
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. staff — a stick
  15. roll — a cake
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — a tool

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