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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stick · shower · plane · field · mark · pitch · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. field — for sport
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. field — a subject
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. shower — rain
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. mark — a trace
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — ground

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