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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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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 · fall · straw · firm · season · mark · dip · mine

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fall — to drop
  3. firm — steady
  4. season — of the year
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — a grade
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cap — of ice
  15. firm — a company
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — in sport
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fall — the season

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