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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: key · drill · track · foot · pass · chest · mine · calf

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — a song
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — to keep track
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pass — a permit
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. track — a path
  24. mine — an explosive

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