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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: land · race · plane · kid · swing · leaves · lie · pitch

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. swing — music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — in golf
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kid — to tease
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — a country
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. land — to come down
  17. swing — to play on
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. race — the arms race
  21. land — ground
  22. race — humankind
  23. kid — child
  24. race — a contest

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