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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: wave · cold · cap · roll · pitch · land · foot · stand

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. land — a country
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitch — completely
  9. land — ground
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stand — to bear
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. foot — a measure
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cap — a hat
  18. roll — a list
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cap — a lid
  24. land — to come down

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