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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 · club · last · foot · key · track · mouse · rest

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — music
  5. track — a song
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. key — in music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — a measure
  12. track — a path
  13. last — to go on
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pop — soda
  16. last — finally
  17. club — a group
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — the most important part
  21. club — for golf
  22. rest — a break
  23. track — to keep track
  24. key — for a lock

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