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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: dip · row · track · cold · plane · cap · fine · ball

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. row — a line
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cold — an illness
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fine — all right
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. track — a path
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — to sink
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cap — a hat

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