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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 · prune · toast · cold · fine · pitch · coach · bowl

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. plane — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitch — completely
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. toast — bread
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bowl — a football final

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