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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitch — completely
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. root — of a word
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. root — of a plant
  22. plane — a tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. root — the cause

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