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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: hand · plane · pass · kick · last · cell · straw · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kick — in football
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hand — help
  13. plane — a tool
  14. last — finally
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. board — to get on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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