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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: cap · hand · key · stick · staff · mark · cell · bowl

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hand — help
  17. key — in music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in biology

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