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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 · plane · staff · wake · rule · rock · cap · squash

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. staff — employees
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — a trail
  7. staff — employees
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. plane — a tool
  10. rock — music
  11. net — in sport
  12. rule — government
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rule — a law
  15. net — for catching
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cap — a lid
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. staff — a stick

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