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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mark — a trace
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. plane — a tool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a grade
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tube — a container
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fork — to eat with

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