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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · sharp · toast · dip · cap · can

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — a hat
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. toast — bread
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cap — a lid
  16. dip — to sink
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. can — a tin

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