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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: last · mouse · arm · pitch · kick · content · plane · wake

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — finally
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitch — completely
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — happy
  13. kick — in football
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. content — the amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. last — final
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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