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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: cue · content · march · cap · wind · nail · key · mug

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. content — the amount
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — of ice
  12. march — music
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — in music
  16. cap — a hat
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mug — a face
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

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