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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: ruler · deal · bear · cue · key · swing · staff · tear

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. staff — employees
  3. swing — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cue — for pool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cue — a signal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. key — for a lock
  15. swing — to play on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — in music
  18. cue — a hint
  19. staff — employees
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. staff — a stick
  24. tear — to rip

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