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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. season — of the year
  5. stand — to bear
  6. race — a contest
  7. content — happy
  8. race — the arms race
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. content — the amount
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. race — humankind
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. plane — a tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitch — completely

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