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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: ball · net · plane · cold · rush · scale · row · foot

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cold — an illness
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cold — not warm
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. scale — size or range
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ball — a great time
  16. scale — in music
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. net — for catching
  21. rush — hurry
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ball — a dance

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