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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · season · plane · pound · track · mine · hide · lie

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pound — a weight
  15. track — a song
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — of the year
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mine — for digging
  24. track — a path

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