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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · last · pop · cue · key · bat · foot · racket

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — finally
  3. cue — for pool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — final
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pop — music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. last — to go on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pop — soda
  19. cue — a signal
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cue — a hint
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. foot — a measure

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