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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 120 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: bat · plane · hide · mouse · dip · chair · row · pit

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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