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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: key · field · shower · plane · net · saw · ball · pitcher

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ball — a great time
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. key — in music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. key — the most important part
  11. field — a subject
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — farmland
  15. key — for a lock
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a dance
  19. shower — rain
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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