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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.

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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: saw · pit · capital · temple · dip · net · snap · plane

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pit — a hole
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. capital — a city
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — in sport
  21. capital — money
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. dip — to dunk

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