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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bat — the animal
  5. key — in music
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. key — for a lock
  10. net — in sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bass — low music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. swing — music
  16. net — after costs
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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