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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: ball · dip · deal · net · plane · roll · clip · scale

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. clip — for paper
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ball — a great time
  8. scale — size or range
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. roll — a list
  13. clip — to cut
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — to handle
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. plane — a tool
  20. roll — a cake
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ball — a dance

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