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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: key · kid · toast · cue · scale · calf · cell · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. scale — in music
  3. cue — for pool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cell — a phone
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. toast — bread
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kid — child
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. last — finally

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