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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: plane · hide · bay · pound · pitch · jam · kid · sharp

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pound — a weight
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — child
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. jam — in traffic
  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