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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: field · foot · rush · lash · bark · cue · key · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cue — a hint
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — hurry
  6. key — in music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. cue — for pool
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. field — for sport
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bark — of a tree

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