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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rest — a break
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. squash — to crush
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a music group
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. branch — a division
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. plane — a tool

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