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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · tear · ground · bay · key · net · track · march

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cue — a hint
  5. net — in sport
  6. march — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — in music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. march — the month
  11. track — a song
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. key — for a lock
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. net — for catching
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cue — for pool
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cue — a signal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. track — a path

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