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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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468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. present — there
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chest — a box
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. scale — in music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. present — the time now
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. charge — electricity
  18. present — a gift
  19. kick — in football
  20. plane — a tool
  21. charge — a price
  22. scale — size or range
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. charge — in control

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