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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rest — a break
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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