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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: arm · hand · fine · mine · plane · swing · kick · face

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hand — help
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fine — high quality
  10. face — part of the head
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. face — to point toward
  16. swing — music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fine — all right
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. plane — a tool
  24. face — to confront

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