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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. last — finally
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. land — ground
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. last — to go on
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. foot — a measure
  15. drill — a practice
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. land — a country
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. drill — the tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. last — final
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  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