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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · kick · coach · row · hand · mouse · plane · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — a tool
  4. row — a line
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — help
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. kick — in football
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. content — the amount

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