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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.

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: content · plane · chair · pitch · mate · bark · dip · land

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mate — a friend
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. land — to come down
  6. plane — a tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — happy
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — completely
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. land — a country
  22. mate — a partner
  23. land — ground
  24. chair — a leader

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