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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pop — soda
  4. kick — in football
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rule — a law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hand — in cards
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rule — government

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