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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 124 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ground — crushed
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. rock — music
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitch — completely
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. capital — money
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. plane — a tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ground — a position
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fall — the season
  24. racket — for tennis

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