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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: firm · drill · net · cap · capital · spell · pit · plane

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. firm — a company
  6. pit — a hole
  7. net — after costs
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. cap — a lid
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. drill — army training
  14. firm — steady
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. net — for catching
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. capital — a city
  21. drill — a practice
  22. firm — decided
  23. net — in sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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