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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. ground — a position
  4. spring — the season
  5. march — music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bound — tied together
  11. march — the month
  12. ground — the earth
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bound — obliged
  18. ground — crushed
  19. plane — a tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. march — the month
  24. deal — to handle

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