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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — to come down
  5. row — a line
  6. present — there
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. track — a path
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. row — to paddle
  12. track — a song
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. track — to keep track
  22. present — the time now
  23. row — a quarrel
  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