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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pop — music
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pop — soda
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — for catching
  12. race — humankind
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fall — the season
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bank — of a river
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fall — to drop

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