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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 116 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: cue · patient · squash · last · ball · stick · race · key

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cue — for pool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. key — in music
  6. cue — a hint
  7. ball — a dance
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. last — finally
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. key — the most important part
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. race — humankind
  23. key — for a lock
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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