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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. field — farmland
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — completely
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. field — for sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitch — a sports field

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