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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: wave · key · deal · chair · cue · drill · tear · bat

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cue — for pool
  5. deal — to handle
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cue — a hint
  10. key — the most important part
  11. drill — army training
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. drill — the tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. key — in music
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wave — with your hand

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