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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: pop · key · toast · drill · content · calf · rule · bat

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — government
  4. pop — music
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. toast — bread
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. drill — the tool
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. key — in music
  18. drill — a practice
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. drill — army training
  24. pop — soda

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