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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 · cue · toast · wind · net · arm · field · key

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. field — farmland
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. toast — bread
  8. key — in music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. net — for catching
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. field — for sport
  14. cue — a hint
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — a subject
  22. cue — a signal
  23. arm — part of the body
  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