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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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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: key · chair · cue · roll · mouse · rash · pit · stem

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pit — in a race
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rash — a series
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cue — a signal
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. roll — a list
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stem — a stem cell

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