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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: staff · pitch · jam · lash · kid · hide · last · row

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitch — completely
  5. kid — child
  6. staff — employees
  7. row — a line
  8. last — final
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. staff — a stick
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — to go on
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. last — finally
  18. row — to paddle
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — to tease

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