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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: plane · snap · field · kick · net · bowl · bat · cabinet

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. net — for catching
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. field — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bat — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. field — farmland
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. plane — a tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. snap — to click
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. kick — in football
  23. field — a subject
  24. kick — a thrill

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