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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. kid — to tease
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. squash — to crush
  5. band — a music group
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. band — a ring
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. board — a committee
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cap — of ice
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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