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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 116 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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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: kick · cap · bank · key · hand · march · ball · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bank — for money
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bank — for money
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kick — in football
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — music
  20. key — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — of a river
  23. hand — help
  24. kick — with a leg

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