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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cap — a hat
  3. dip — to sink
  4. clip — to cut
  5. craft — a skill
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. staff — employees
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cap — of ice
  13. craft — boats
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — a video
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. band — a ring
  20. staff — a stick
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — completely

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