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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: trunk · chest · ruler · net · nail · game · fine · plane

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. game — wild animals
  3. net — in sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chest — of your body
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fine — all right
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — for catching
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. game — a match
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — a box
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. plane — a tool

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