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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: coach · kick · snap · hide · plane · chest · bore · pitcher

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chest — of your body
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to click
  16. plane — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chest — a box
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — in football
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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