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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spell — a short time
  3. court — for sport
  4. present — a gift
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. present — there
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. squash — to crush
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. row — a line
  21. court — of a king
  22. spell — magic
  23. court — of law
  24. spell — letters

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