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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 · last · fine · squash · cap · bowl · plane · bat

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — the sport
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cap — of ice
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bat — the animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — in sport
  24. last — to go on

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