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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. key — in music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a document
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a ring
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — for a lock
  17. band — a music group
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. file — a tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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