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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: roll · bark · cap · can · charge · dip · cold · game

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bark — to shout
  3. can — a tin
  4. charge — electricity
  5. game — wild animals
  6. charge — a price
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cold — not warm
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. charge — in control
  14. cap — of ice
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cold — an illness
  17. can — to be able to
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. game — a match
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. roll — a cake

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