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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · cue · field · scale · firm · hide · cold · key

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cue — a hint
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ground — crushed
  6. firm — a company
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. scale — in music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. firm — steady
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. field — for sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — an illness
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cue — a signal
  23. key — in music
  24. firm — decided

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