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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: fan · row · toast · net · cabinet · cap · track · foot

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. net — after costs
  3. cap — a hat
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. track — a song
  16. cap — a lid
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cap — of ice
  20. track — a path
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. net — for catching
  24. foot — a measure

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