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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: bound · rest · cold · bay · key · tear · cue · ruler

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rest — a break
  4. cue — a signal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bound — certain
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cue — a hint
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. key — in music
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — the most important part

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