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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · mate · land · cap · root · rush · net · cue

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mate — to breed
  3. root — of a word
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. land — to come down
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. land — a country
  11. cap — of ice
  12. net — for catching
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mate — a friend
  15. root — the cause
  16. net — in sport
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. net — after costs
  19. cue — a signal
  20. land — ground
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cue — for pool

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