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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. capital — a city
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mate — a friend
  13. capital — money
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mate — to breed
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stem — of a plant

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