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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: key · bulb · pitcher · calf · season · rule · net · band

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. band — a ring
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. key — the most important part
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — after costs
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rule — a law
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — in music
  24. season — to add flavour

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