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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: wind · pit · cue · net · key · foot · bark · date

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. net — for catching
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pit — in a race
  11. net — in sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. foot — the bottom

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