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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · plane · racket · rule · chest · season · dip · sharp

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rule — a law
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. sharp — clever
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. hand — help
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rule — government
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chest — a box

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