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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitcher — a jug

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