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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ground · key · pit · cap · can · cold · march · leaves

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cap — a hat
  4. key — for a lock
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. march — music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — the month
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cap — a lid
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pit — a hole
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ground — a position
  22. pit — in a race
  23. key — in music
  24. leaves — to go away

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