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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: cue · swing · current · key · chair · spell · stick · staff

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. swing — music
  3. spell — magic
  4. current — electric
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. current — happening now
  7. staff — employees
  8. current — of water
  9. spell — a short time
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. staff — a stick
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cue — a hint
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. key — in music
  24. chair — a professorship

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