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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: toast · file · row · face · cue · degree · key · prune

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. key — for a lock
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. degree — an amount
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. row — a line
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. file — a tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. row — to paddle
  15. file — a document
  16. key — in music
  17. toast — bread
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cue — a signal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. face — to confront
  23. file — a line of people
  24. degree — temperature

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