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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: march · object · drill · can · key · kid · capital · chip

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. drill — the tool
  3. march — music
  4. object — an aim
  5. capital — a city
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. capital — money
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — to tease
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — to eat
  20. object — a thing
  21. chip — for betting
  22. key — for a lock
  23. march — the month
  24. object — to protest

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