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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — magic
  11. field — for sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spell — a short time
  16. plane — a tool
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. field — a subject
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spell — letters
  24. leaves — lets stay

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