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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chest · pop · row · net · foot · squash · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cap — of ice
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chest — a box
  7. net — for catching
  8. chest — of your body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. row — a line
  11. net — in sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — after costs
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pop — music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. squash — to crush
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cap — a lid
  24. row — to paddle

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