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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: cell · net · plane · capital · present · fine · foot · cold

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. fine — all right
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. present — there
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. net — in sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — a phone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fine — high quality
  16. net — for catching
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cold — not warm
  20. present — the time now
  21. cell — in biology
  22. net — after costs
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. capital — money

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