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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. dip — to sink
  3. kick — in football
  4. face — part of the head
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. squash — to crush
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. sharp — clever
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. sharp — exactly

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