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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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Word bank
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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: roll · wound · key · object · pitcher · field · straw · cue

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. field — farmland
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. object — an aim
  13. roll — a cake
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — in music
  17. roll — a list
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. key — for a lock
  23. object — to protest
  24. cue — a hint

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