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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · bat · plane · ground · lie · capital · fork · shower

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. march — music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lie — to recline
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ground — a position
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. fork — in a road
  20. shower — rain
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fork — a garden tool

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