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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: plane · chair · foot · game · rock · tube · fall · net

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. fall — the season
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — after costs
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fall — to drop
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tube — a container
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. net — in sport
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. game — a match
  17. rock — music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. net — for catching
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rock — a stone
  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