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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cap — a hat
  3. game — a match
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. firm — a company
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. season — in sport
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. net — after costs
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. firm — decided
  16. cap — a lid
  17. branch — a division
  18. cap — of ice
  19. net — in sport
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — a line
  24. net — for catching

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