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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: cap · chest · land · kid · hand · pass · board · dip

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. land — a country
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kid — child
  7. board — to get on
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. land — to come down
  12. dip — to sink
  13. land — ground
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. board — a committee
  22. pass — a permit
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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