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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: dip · cue · wake · kid · file · race · mouse · key

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. file — a tool
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — in music
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. key — the most important part
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — a trail

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