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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 120 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: rash · cabinet · fan · mark · pitch · cap · cold · land

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. land — to come down
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. land — a country
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rash — a series
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. land — ground
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fan — a supporter
  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