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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: club · field · kick · bay · cue · content · stand · key

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. club — for golf
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. content — happy
  9. stand — to bear
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. key — in music
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kick — in football
  16. field — for sport
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — the amount
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. field — farmland
  21. cue — a signal
  22. field — a subject
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stand — for spectators

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