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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: cap · net · firm · pit · patient · chest · hide · dip

  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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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. dip — to sink
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pit — in a race
  8. firm — decided
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chest — a box
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — for catching
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — a lid
  16. firm — steady
  17. net — after costs
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — a hole
  22. net — in sport
  23. firm — a company
  24. hide — animal skin

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