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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: cap · last · key · spell · roll · pitch · content · drill

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. spell — magic
  10. cap — of ice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. key — for a lock
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — a practice
  15. spell — a short time
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. key — in music
  18. last — final
  19. key — the most important part
  20. spell — letters
  21. last — to go on
  22. content — the amount
  23. drill — army training
  24. roll — a list

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