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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · arm · row · spell · degree · pitch · clip · plane

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitch — completely
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — magic
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spell — letters
  13. lie — to recline
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spell — a short time
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. degree — temperature
  24. row — to paddle

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