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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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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: mine · cell · ground · net · dip · capital · mate · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. dip — to sink
  3. net — for catching
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. capital — a city
  7. net — after costs
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — for digging
  11. capital — money
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — a position
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. mate — a friend
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cell — a phone

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