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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 · drill · saw · pitch · squash · mug · net · key

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — the most important part
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. drill — army training
  8. mug — a cup
  9. drill — the tool
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mug — a face
  13. net — in sport
  14. mug — to rob
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. squash — to crush
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — in music
  20. drill — a practice
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. saw — the tool
  24. key — for a lock

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