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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. field — farmland
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — a subject
  10. stand — to bear
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kick — in football
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. dip — to sink
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — for sport

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