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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: bay · cue · mate · wound · straw · fine · key · racket

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. key — in music
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — all right
  9. mate — a partner
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — an injury
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fine — high quality
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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