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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · roll · kid · kick · sharp · season · tube · file

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kick — in football
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. kid — to tease
  10. roll — a list
  11. plane — a tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. file — a document
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — in sport
  24. roll — a cake

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