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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: capital · drill · date · plane · suit · lash · kid · mark

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. kid — to tease
  4. capital — money
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. suit — to fit
  7. capital — a city
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. date — the fruit
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — a grade
  13. suit — in cards
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. suit — clothes
  21. drill — army training
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. plane — a tool
  24. drill — a practice

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