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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: staff · key · cap · mug · can · sharp · club · court

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. can — a tin
  3. key — in music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mug — a cup
  8. club — a group
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. staff — employees
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cap — a hat
  15. sharp — clever
  16. court — of a king
  17. cap — of ice
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mug — a face
  20. key — for a lock
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. court — of law
  24. can — a tin

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