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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. capital — money
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pound — a weight
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mate — to breed
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. capital — a city
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. plane — in geometry

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