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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. net — for catching
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — wild animals
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cap — of ice
  23. content — happy
  24. stem — of a plant

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