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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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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: foot · swing · cue · safe · key · tear · hand · rule

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. key — in music
  3. hand — help
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cue — a signal
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cue — for pool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — music
  14. foot — a measure
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tear — to rip
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rule — a law
  21. key — the most important part
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rule — government

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