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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.

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: plane · chip · cap · coach · fork · march · lie · can

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cap — a lid
  9. march — the month
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lie — to recline
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fork — in a road
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chip — to eat
  24. coach — a trainer

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