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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: charge · lean · dip · pit · net · land · mine · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pit — a hole
  5. net — for catching
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. net — in sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. charge — a price
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cap — of ice
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lean — to bend
  17. land — a country
  18. net — after costs
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. dip — a sauce

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