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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.

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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 · band · pop · chest · perch · last · rule · key

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. key — the most important part
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rule — government
  9. band — a music group
  10. drill — army training
  11. band — a ring
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. last — final
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — soda
  19. rule — a law
  20. last — to go on
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. perch — for a bird

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