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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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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 · kick · mate · bank · sharp · wind · racket · swing

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. sharp — clever
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a friend
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. swing — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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