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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: pound · coach · foot · lie · object · last · kick · plane

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. object — to protest
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. lie — to recline
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. foot — a measure
  23. last — final
  24. plane — in geometry

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