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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rest — a break
  5. pit — in a race
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. can — to be able to
  14. net — after costs
  15. can — a tin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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