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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · foot · bat · band · bear · net · pop · arm

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pop — music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cap — of ice
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a ring
  11. net — for catching
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bear — the animal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pop — soda
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. cap — a lid

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