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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: drill · hand · rule · spell · key · calf · pit · scale

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spell — letters
  5. rule — government
  6. spell — magic
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pit — a hole
  11. scale — in music
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — in cards
  18. drill — army training
  19. key — in music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spell — a short time
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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