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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · hide · race · scale · cue · key · field · can

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. staff — employees
  3. cue — for pool
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — for a lock
  6. race — the arms race
  7. scale — size or range
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cue — a hint
  11. key — in music
  12. can — a tin
  13. race — humankind
  14. field — for sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — the most important part
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. race — a contest
  23. field — a subject
  24. can — to be able to

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