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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: row · staff · spring · key · object · stick · pitch · hide

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pitch — completely
  7. object — an aim
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. object — to protest
  10. key — for a lock
  11. object — a thing
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. spring — the season
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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