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

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pound — a weight
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cap — a hat
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kid — child
  24. bark — of a tree

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