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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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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 · cap · jam · key · pound · kid

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rash — a series
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. kid — child
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pound — a weight
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rash — hasty
  17. key — in music
  18. pound — to hit hard

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