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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kick — in football
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bat — the animal
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mug — a face
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fork — in a road
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. plane — a tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. dip — to dunk

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