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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · dip · deal · hide · race · row · bass · stick

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. row — a line
  5. deal — to handle
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — a stick
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. row — to paddle

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