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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cue — a signal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. band — a ring
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cue — for pool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. key — in music
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. date — the fruit
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. band — a music group
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — a list
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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