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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 · cold · rest · ball · tube · bulb · key · calf

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rest — a break
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — not warm
  12. key — in music
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. cue — a hint
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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