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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: fine · ball · plane · rock · kid · net · bulb · track

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. rock — music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. track — a song
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a path
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — a stone
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. net — after costs
  18. fine — high quality
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a great time
  22. net — for catching
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ball — a round shape

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