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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: game · mate · content · suit · key · rest · calf · band

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. band — a music group
  3. suit — in cards
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — the amount
  7. mate — a partner
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. suit — clothes
  17. content — happy
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. suit — to fit
  20. rest — a break
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. calf — of the leg

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