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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.

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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: march · dip · mate · season · hand · mine · bowl · cap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. dip — to sink
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mate — to breed
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — the month
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. dip — to dunk

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