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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
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: ground · key · straw · chair · tube · lie · hide · plane

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. key — in music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. lie — to recline
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chair — a leader
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. key — the most important part
  22. tube — a container
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lie — an untruth

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