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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. kid — to tease
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — to visit
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pop — music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fine — high quality
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mug — to rob
  16. kid — child
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mug — a face
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pop — soda

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