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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: calf · scale · dip · last · field · key · pop · court

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. key — for a lock
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. last — to go on
  6. field — a subject
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. last — finally
  11. key — in music
  12. field — farmland
  13. scale — in music
  14. court — of a king
  15. field — for sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — music
  20. court — of law
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pop — soda
  23. last — final
  24. dip — to dunk

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