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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: cap · plane · ball · fan · squash · net · sharp · bark

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. net — for catching
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — clever
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. net — in sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  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