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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.

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: bass · band · game · row · cue · dip · cap · present

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cap — a hat
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cue — a hint
  5. dip — to sink
  6. game — a match
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bass — low music
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. present — the time now
  11. row — a line
  12. bass — the fish
  13. band — a ring
  14. present — a gift
  15. band — a music group
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. present — there
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cue — a signal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cap — of ice
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cue — for pool

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