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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mate — a friend
  12. present — the time now
  13. kid — child
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — a partner
  17. present — there
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. plane — a tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. kick — in football
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ruler — for measuring

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