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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: hand · jam · capital · leaves · cap · cell · kick · march

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. march — music
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. capital — a city
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. cap — of ice
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cell — in biology
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — in football
  21. cell — a phone
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. leaves — of a tree

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