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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · file · nail · spell · cue · key · rash · kid

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. key — in music
  4. kid — child
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spell — letters
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rash — a series
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spell — magic
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cue — a hint
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spell — a short time

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