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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. present — the time now
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. present — a gift
  7. pitch — completely
  8. season — in sport
  9. ground — the earth
  10. capital — money
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. track — a path
  15. capital — a city
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. track — a song
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. present — there
  24. ground — crushed

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