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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · patient · mark · bay · key · cue

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cue — a signal
  3. race — a contest
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. race — humankind
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. key — for a lock
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. race — the arms race
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cue — a hint
  16. key — in music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cue — for pool

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