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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pit — a hole
  5. snap — to click
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — rain
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pit — in a race
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. kick — in football
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. season — in sport
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. plane — a tool

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