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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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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. march — music
  3. land — to come down
  4. can — a tin
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — a country
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitch — completely
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — a measure
  18. can — to be able to
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. land — ground
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. march — the month
  24. plane — an aircraft

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