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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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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 · bay · last · chip · fall · lash · foot · roll

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. roll — a cake
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. roll — a list
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fall — the season
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — to go on
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. last — finally
  21. foot — a measure
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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