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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: cap · squash · craft · degree · straw · march · cabinet · key

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — a skill
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. march — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. squash — the sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. craft — boats
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. key — for a lock
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. degree — from a university
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. key — the most important part
  24. squash — to crush

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