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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: fork · degree · wound · scale · foot · toast · key · cue

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — in music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cue — a hint
  11. degree — an amount
  12. foot — a measure
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. scale — size or range
  15. toast — bread
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cue — for pool
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. degree — temperature
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cue — a signal

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