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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rule — a law
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. land — ground
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rule — government
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — a country
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pitch — completely
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. land — to come down

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