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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bound — certain
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pop — soda
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kick — in football
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pop — music
  24. date — on the calendar

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