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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — for sport
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cold — an illness
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — not warm
  12. squash — the sport
  13. key — in music
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mug — to rob
  19. field — farmland
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — for a lock
  22. field — a subject
  23. rest — a break
  24. mug — a face

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