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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 were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. plane — a tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. swing — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. sharp — clever

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