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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — after costs
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hand — help
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stand — on your feet
  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