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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: wake · court · swing · present · key · cue · bay · row

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. present — there
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wake — a trail
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. present — a gift
  13. row — a line
  14. court — of law
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. present — the time now
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. court — of a king
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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