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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kid — child
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. chip — for betting
  8. field — a subject
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. lean — to bend
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lean — thin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chip — to eat
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. swing — music

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