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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 · stand · kick · chip · hide · lie · tear · plane

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. row — a line
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hide — animal skin

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