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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: snap · field · plane · drill · sharp · mine · firm · pitch

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — farmland
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. drill — army training
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. firm — steady
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. drill — the tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. plane — a tool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitch — completely
  20. drill — a practice
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. field — a subject

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