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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. kid — child
  7. present — a gift
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. plane — a tool
  10. present — there
  11. fine — all right
  12. charge — a price
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. present — the time now
  24. charge — in control

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