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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. prune — to trim
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stock — shares
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stock — goods
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. plane — a tool

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