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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. spring — of water
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. last — finally
  9. plane — a tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rest — a break
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitch — completely
  18. land — a country
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. last — final
  21. land — ground
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — to go on
  24. safe — out of danger

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