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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — a series
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. row — a line
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. deal — to handle
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — in football
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — to paddle

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