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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 · cue · stock · ruler · chest · bat · fan · sharp

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. key — the most important part
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. key — in music
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — shares
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — goods
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cue — a signal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chest — a box

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