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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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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: land · cap · cell · clip · firm · bowl · stand · degree

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. firm — decided
  7. cap — a lid
  8. land — ground
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cap — a hat
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stand — to bear
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. degree — an amount
  18. clip — a video
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. firm — steady
  24. land — a country

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