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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fork — in a road
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. can — a tin
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. game — a match
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kick — in football
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stem — to come from
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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