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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.

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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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. field — farmland
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. chip — for betting
  22. kick — in football
  23. field — a subject
  24. chip — in a computer

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