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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: squash · mark · net · root · bat · can · cap · row

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. row — to paddle
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mark — a grade
  9. root — of a word
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. root — the cause
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — a line
  17. can — to be able to
  18. squash — to crush
  19. net — in sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. root — of a plant
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — a lid

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