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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.

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: net · fall · staff · row · swing · lie · hide · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — in golf
  12. net — in sport
  13. row — a line
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — to recline
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. staff — a stick
  20. hand — in cards
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fall — the season

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