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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 116 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: kick · cap · march · ground · bass · dip · net · leaves

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — of ice
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — a position
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ground — crushed
  12. net — for catching
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cap — a lid
  18. march — the month
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kick — in football
  23. march — the month
  24. net — after costs

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