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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · squash · drill · face · spell · pitch · field · hand

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. face — part of the head
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. squash — the sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. field — for sport
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spell — letters
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — to crush
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. drill — the tool
  21. face — to confront
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. spell — magic

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