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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: last · bore · pop · game · nail · foot · content · key

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bore — to drill
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — final
  7. content — happy
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. content — the amount
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — wild animals
  16. foot — a measure
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pop — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. nail — for a hammer

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