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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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Word bank
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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: plane · pass · mine · mark · capital · row · season · foot

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mine — for digging
  3. season — of the year
  4. capital — money
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. season — in sport
  7. mark — a trace
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pass — a permit
  15. plane — a tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a line
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. capital — a city
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. foot — a measure
  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