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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stand — to bear
  9. drill — a practice
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. chair — a leader
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. season — in sport
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitch — completely
  24. season — to add flavour

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