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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · staff · can · march · court · plane · chest · fine

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fine — all right
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — of law
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. can — a tin
  9. march — music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. march — the month
  18. court — for sport
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. court — of a king

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