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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: foot · season · pitch · rush · rock · roll · plane · row

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. rush — hurry
  3. season — in sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rock — music
  6. row — a line
  7. roll — a list
  8. rock — a stone
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pitch — completely
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitch — a sports field

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