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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · fork · rule · plane · pitch · court · season · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. season — of the year
  15. rule — a law
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. court — for sport
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rule — government
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — in sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fork — in a road

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