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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: march · last · dip · key · kick · content · cap · stem

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. key — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. last — to go on
  7. march — the month
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. kick — in football
  10. cap — a hat
  11. last — finally
  12. content — happy
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stem — to come from
  15. dip — to sink
  16. content — the amount
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cap — a lid
  19. last — final
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cap — of ice
  24. key — for a lock

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