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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · net · fan · chest · degree · snap · cap · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pop — soda
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. net — after costs
  13. chest — a box
  14. snap — to click
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pop — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cap — a hat
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. degree — temperature
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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