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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.

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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: pop · wake · stem · cap · deal · pit · cold · game

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pop — music
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — a match
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pop — to visit

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