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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: drill · land · net · firm · pass · charge · plane · capital

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. net — after costs
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. firm — decided
  6. charge — in control
  7. net — in sport
  8. pass — a permit
  9. land — to come down
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. firm — steady
  12. plane — a tool
  13. land — ground
  14. net — for catching
  15. capital — money
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. land — a country
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. charge — electricity
  20. drill — army training
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. firm — a company
  24. capital — a city

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