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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: cap · march · rush · file · arm · pitch · racket · key

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitch — completely
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a document
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — hurry
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cap — a lid
  22. key — in music
  23. march — music
  24. cap — a hat

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