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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: hand · net · pop · squash · ball · dip · stand · file

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. file — a line of people
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pop — music
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. file — a tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — after costs
  17. hand — help
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a document
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ball — a dance
  23. net — in sport
  24. stand — for spectators

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