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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kick — in football
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to click
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. plane — a tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fall — the season
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — for catching
  17. last — to go on
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fall — to drop
  21. last — finally
  22. net — after costs
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — in sport

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