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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: chest · face · plane · mug · last · nail · kick · coach

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mug — a cup
  3. face — part of the head
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. face — to confront
  6. last — to go on
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kick — in football
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. chest — a box
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. coach — a trainer

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