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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 120 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: key · fan · race · suit · bark · rest · club · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. suit — in cards
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rest — a break
  5. suit — clothes
  6. club — a group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cue — a signal
  10. suit — to fit
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — in music
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — a contest
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. key — for a lock
  23. club — for golf
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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