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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitch — completely
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. board — to get on
  7. row — a line
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. object — to protest
  10. content — the amount
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. object — an aim
  14. content — happy
  15. mate — a friend
  16. object — a thing
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mate — a partner
  20. row — to paddle
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. board — a flat piece

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