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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: land · fine · plane · net · present · kid · roll · press

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a cake
  5. net — after costs
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. plane — a tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. land — ground
  14. fine — high quality
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. net — in sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — for catching
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. roll — a list
  22. land — to come down
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. kid — to tease

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