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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.

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: fork · game · fan · cue · rash · tear · key · band

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. band — a ring
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fork — in a road
  11. game — a match
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. tear — from crying
  15. key — for a lock
  16. tear — to rip
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. key — in music
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cue — for pool

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