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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cell — a phone
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — clever
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fall — the season

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