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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. rule — government
  5. hand — in cards
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. rule — a law
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. object — a thing
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — help
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hand — part of the body

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