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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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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: hide · kick · staff · saw · toast · roll · kid · pound

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pound — a weight
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kick — in football
  13. toast — bread
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. roll — a list
  16. staff — employees
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. roll — a cake
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pound — for dogs

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