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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: stand · dip · mark · cap · chair · last · game · pop

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. last — final
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pop — music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pop — soda
  11. dip — to sink
  12. last — to go on
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. game — a match
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. last — finally
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mark — to pay attention

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