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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — a tool
  5. object — to protest
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. object — a thing
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. tube — a container
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chest — a box
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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