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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. present — the time now
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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