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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: bass · plane · scale · ground · content · cap · file · net

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cap — a hat
  3. net — after costs
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. scale — in music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. file — a tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — the amount
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. content — happy
  20. net — for catching
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

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