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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: suit · key · prune · pitch · drill · cap · season · cold

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. prune — to trim
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cap — a hat
  10. season — in sport
  11. suit — clothes
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cap — of ice
  19. key — in music
  20. pitch — completely
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cold — not warm
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. suit — to fit

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