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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 · key · kid · drill · sharp · net · pitch · pit

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kid — to tease
  4. key — in music
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — clever
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pit — a hole
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — after costs
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. net — for catching
  20. kid — child
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pitch — completely

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