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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: plane · calf · kick · march · snap · content · tube · date

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — the amount
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. date — the fruit
  10. content — happy
  11. plane — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. snap — to click
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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