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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: cap · staff · mate · net · bat · wake · bass · plane

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cap — a hat
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — a trail
  14. net — in sport
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cap — a lid
  20. net — after costs
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bat — for baseball
  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