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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. capital — a city
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pitch — completely
  9. net — after costs
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. net — in sport
  19. capital — money
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wave — of the sea

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