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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: net · race · key · wave · fork · jam · cue · content

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. content — the amount
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cue — for pool
  13. race — humankind
  14. net — for catching
  15. key — in music
  16. net — in sport
  17. race — a contest
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fork — in a road
  23. net — after costs
  24. content — happy

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