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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fine — all right
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ground — the earth
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ground — a position
  17. plane — a tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — after costs

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