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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: net · ruler · kid · cue · key · game · squash · roll

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. net — for catching
  10. kid — child
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. roll — a list
  15. kid — to tease
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. key — in music
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. key — for a lock
  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