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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 116 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: net · kid · fall · mark · plane · mine · chair · fine

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. kid — child
  10. net — in sport
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fine — all right
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mark — a trace
  19. plane — a tool
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. fine — high quality

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