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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 116 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: cue · fork · stick · net · patient · kid · key · hide

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. key — the most important part
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — for a lock
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. net — after costs
  14. kid — to tease
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — in music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hide — to keep secret

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