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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: pitcher · plane · arm · field · sharp · cabinet · mouse · lie

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. field — farmland
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. plane — a tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. sharp — clever

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