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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. lean — to bend
  5. shower — rain
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pass — a permit
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lean — thin
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. degree — an amount
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. saw — the 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