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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
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: racket · wound · key · march · lie · roll · ground · cap

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. march — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cap — a lid
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — a hat
  11. roll — a list
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lie — to recline
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. roll — a cake
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — a position
  24. cap — of ice

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