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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spell — a short time
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — magic
  7. field — farmland
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — a thing
  10. plane — a tool
  11. spell — letters
  12. kick — in football
  13. object — an aim
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. object — to protest
  18. mug — a face
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chest — a box
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mug — a cup
  24. plane — in geometry

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