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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 · arm · last · chest · racket · scale · kick · spell

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. plane — a tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spell — letters
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kick — in football
  14. scale — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. scale — size or range
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. last — to go on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. last — final
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — with a leg

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