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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cue — a signal
  14. net — in sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stand — to bear
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rash — a series
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cap — a lid

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