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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: hand · tear · charge · stand · pitcher · cabinet · cap · bass

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cap — of ice
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. charge — a price
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bass — low music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tear — to rip
  23. charge — in control
  24. cabinet — ministers

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