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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: object · racket · rest · fork · file · band · cue · key

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. object — an aim
  3. rest — a break
  4. object — to protest
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cue — a hint
  14. file — a tool
  15. key — in music
  16. object — a thing
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a document
  19. key — the most important part
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. racket — for tennis

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