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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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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: mark · rest · ground · capital · pitch · plane · shower · rule

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. capital — money
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rule — government
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — a position
  18. rule — a law
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mark — a trace

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