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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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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: kick · pitcher · firm · plane · wave · file · cold · fine

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. firm — a company
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. firm — steady
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. plane — a tool
  16. firm — decided
  17. cold — not warm
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kick — in football
  24. fine — all right

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