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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. drill — a practice
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. field — for sport
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. field — a subject
  16. row — to paddle
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. drill — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. stand — to bear

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