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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: bowl · straw · bore · last · key · band · present · cap

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bore — to tire
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — to go on
  6. key — the most important part
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. key — for a lock
  10. band — a music group
  11. present — there
  12. cap — a hat
  13. last — finally
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. last — final
  16. key — in music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. present — a gift
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. present — the time now

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