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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. drill — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. drill — army training
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. plane — a tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — a practice
  14. face — part of the head
  15. dip — to sink
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. field — farmland
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. face — to confront
  22. date — the fruit
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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