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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: plane · pit · toast · band · net · fall · squash · last

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. net — for catching
  11. last — final
  12. plane — a tool
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. last — finally
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pit — in a race
  20. net — in sport
  21. toast — bread
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. band — a music group

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