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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. content — the amount
  10. suit — to fit
  11. content — happy
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. drill — the tool
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kid — to tease
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. suit — in cards

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