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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: club · land · snap · bark · kick · suit · plane · pitch

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. land — to come down
  5. club — for golf
  6. land — a country
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. snap — to click
  13. club — a group
  14. kick — in football
  15. land — ground
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. suit — clothes
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. suit — to fit
  24. plane — a tool

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