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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · racket · root · march · plane · straw · net · degree

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. net — after costs
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cap — a lid
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. degree — temperature
  8. net — in sport
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. root — of a word
  13. march — the month
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. plane — a tool
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — of ice
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cap — a hat
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — music
  24. net — for catching

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