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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fall — to drop
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fall — the season
  8. kick — in football
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bear — the animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — a tool
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — a practice

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