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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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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: cap · hand · bear · ruler · pitch · bowl · cold · net

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cold — not warm
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cap — of ice
  17. net — for catching
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. net — after costs
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bowl — a football final

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