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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 120 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: stick · rock · bowl · bear · deal · pitch · plane · net

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rock — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitch — completely
  7. net — for catching
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. deal — to handle
  10. net — after costs
  11. plane — a tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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