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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. plane — a tool
  3. last — final
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. last — to go on
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. last — finally
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rash — hasty
  14. net — for catching
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — after costs
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. net — in sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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