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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: cap · dip · last · cabinet · row · ground · march · squash

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — final
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ground — the earth
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. last — to go on
  16. row — to paddle
  17. march — music
  18. row — a line
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. last — finally
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a hat

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