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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: pitch · hide · field · bat · plane · last · fall · spell

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. spell — letters
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fall — the season
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fall — to drop
  15. plane — a tool
  16. last — finally
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — a subject
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — farmland
  23. bat — the animal
  24. last — final

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