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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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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: bark · rest · nail · key · snap · mark · racket · cue

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. snap — to click
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cue — a signal
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rest — a break
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bark — to shout
  24. key — in music

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