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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ground — the earth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — a leader
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ground — crushed
  15. band — a music group
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. key — in music
  21. band — a ring
  22. perch — the fish
  23. scale — in music
  24. ground — a position

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