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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.

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: march · coach · cell · cap · sharp · kid · ground · can

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cell — in biology
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — child
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. sharp — clever
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ground — the earth
  24. march — music

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