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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: nail · game · degree · can · key · trunk · march · staff

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. degree — from a university
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — a stick
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. can — a tin
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a match
  24. key — the most important part

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