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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: key · ground · rest · content · ball · firm · cue · pop

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cue — a signal
  3. firm — a company
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pop — to visit
  6. content — the amount
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rest — a break
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. firm — decided
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. content — happy
  16. ball — a great time
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ground — the earth
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pop — soda
  21. ground — a position
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. key — in music
  24. pop — music

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