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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. game — wild animals
  9. season — of the year
  10. object — to protest
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. object — a thing
  15. season — in sport
  16. object — an aim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — completely
  23. present — there
  24. bark — of a tree

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