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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. ground — a position
  4. hand — help
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — crushed
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kick — in football
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. plane — in geometry

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