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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mark — a trace
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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