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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 116 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: branch · safe · sharp · pitch · plane · spell · game · fall

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — a match
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — clever
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spell — magic
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fall — to drop
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitch — completely
  19. branch — a division
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. branch — of a tree

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