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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: content · can · cap · kick · key · coach · press · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. key — in music
  4. press — to push
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. kick — in football
  8. can — a tin
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cap — a hat
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. press — a publisher
  23. content — the amount
  24. cap — of ice

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