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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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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: pass · drill · foot · wind · pitch · court · plane · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pass — a permit
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. drill — the tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. plane — a tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wind — moving air
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitch — completely
  19. drill — army training
  20. court — of law
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pass — to succeed

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