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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: pitch · saw · nail · capital · pop · shower · row · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — to visit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. shower — to wash
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — money
  15. pop — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. row — to paddle
  20. shower — rain
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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