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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: cue · firm · tube · hand · key · staff · bat · racket

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. firm — steady
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — a signal
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cue — a hint
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tube — a container
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tube — the underground
  21. staff — a stick
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cue — for pool
  24. firm — a company

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