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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hand — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. plane — a tool
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — help
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. face — part of the head
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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