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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 · kick · snap · march · bulb · game · cabinet · arm

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. bulb — for light
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. game — a match
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bulb — for light
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. plane — in geometry

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