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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · net · season · fan · chest · snap · cap · row

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. net — in sport
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — a box
  7. season — in sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cap — a hat
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. row — a line
  14. net — after costs
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. net — for catching
  18. snap — to click
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chest — of your body
  24. season — of the year

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