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

Word bank: kid · pit · cue · dip · content · race · fan · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. race — humankind
  3. pit — a hole
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cue — for pool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. content — happy
  13. kid — to tease
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — the amount
  17. cue — a hint
  18. race — a contest
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cue — a signal
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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