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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: ball · spell · wound · plane · pit · swing · pitcher · stand

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ball — a great time
  6. swing — music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spell — a short time
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — magic
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wound — an injury

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