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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — letters
  17. plane — a tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — completely
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. bank — for money

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