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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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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: kick · lash · lie · pop · ground · plane · date · net

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pop — soda
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pop — music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. net — in sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pop — to visit
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. net — for catching
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. date — the fruit
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. net — after costs

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