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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spell — letters
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chip — for betting
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. ball — a dance
  7. content — happy
  8. ball — a great time
  9. spell — magic
  10. content — the amount
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cue — a hint
  16. scale — size or range
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lean — thin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chip — to eat
  22. scale — in music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. key — in music

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