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

Word bank: hand · present · cell · pitcher · plane · kick · key · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — in football
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hand — in cards
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. present — a gift
  18. cell — in biology
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. key — in music
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pound — a weight

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