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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 120 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 · chip · safe · cold · lash · plane · content · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. season — of the year
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chip — for betting
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chip — to eat
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — happy
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kick — in football
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. content — the amount
  23. season — in sport
  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