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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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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 · rule · bass · hand · last · present · stand · net

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. bass — the fish
  4. last — final
  5. rule — government
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. present — a gift
  9. cap — a hat
  10. present — there
  11. cap — a lid
  12. net — for catching
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. last — finally
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. present — the time now
  22. stand — to bear
  23. net — in sport
  24. last — to go on

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