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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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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: coach · march · drill · land · key · sharp · tube · cap

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. key — the most important part
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cap — of ice
  12. march — music
  13. drill — a practice
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. key — for a lock
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. land — to come down
  21. tube — a container
  22. drill — army training
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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