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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.

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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 · march · tube · date · key · jam · wind · kick

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cap — a lid
  4. march — music
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cap — a hat
  7. date — the fruit
  8. march — the month
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. kick — in football
  12. march — the month
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. key — the most important part
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  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