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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: hand · swing · date · cue · fall · rush · race · key

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cue — for pool
  4. key — in music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. race — a contest
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — the season
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — the arms race
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — in cards
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cue — a signal
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. race — humankind
  19. cue — a hint
  20. hand — help
  21. date — the fruit
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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