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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — a subject
  6. season — in sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — a container
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — of the year
  19. game — a match
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lie — to recline
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. pound — for dogs

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