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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 116 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: plane · rule · fall · spell · squash · kick · last · swing

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. swing — music
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fall — the season
  8. spell — magic
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. spell — letters
  11. swing — in golf
  12. last — final
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — to go on
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rule — government
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rule — a law
  23. squash — to crush
  24. plane — a tool

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