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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: root · rush · chest · pitcher · key · cue · saw · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. key — the most important part
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — hurry
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cue — for pool
  17. root — of a word
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pitcher — a jug

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