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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: march · cold · can · key · snap · saw · mine · mug

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mine — for digging
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mug — a cup
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. can — to be able to
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cold — not warm
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. march — music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mug — to rob
  22. march — the month
  23. can — a tin
  24. saw — the tool

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