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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: march · key · cold · pass · trunk · stick · cap · bay

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. key — the most important part
  14. march — the month
  15. key — in music
  16. pass — a permit
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cold — not warm
  21. march — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cold — an illness

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