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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: wake · row · capital · pitch · ground · mark · net · plane

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mark — a trace
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — after costs
  12. plane — a tool
  13. row — a line
  14. net — in sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. capital — a city
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pitch — completely
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. net — for catching
  22. ground — the earth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mark — to pay attention

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