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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: net · cap · mark · straw · plane · staff · chest · rest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. staff — employees
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rest — what's left
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. net — in sport
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. chest — a box
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. net — for catching
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — of ice
  22. net — after costs
  23. staff — employees
  24. mark — a grade

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