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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · staff · last · lean · bear · file · hide · spell

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — to go on
  7. spell — letters
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. file — a document
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bear — the animal
  17. staff — a stick
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — finally
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. spell — magic
  23. lean — thin
  24. last — final

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