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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: club · track · shower · tube · chest · cue · key · race

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. track — a song
  3. race — humankind
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chest — of your body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chest — of your body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. shower — to wash
  12. club — a group
  13. cue — a hint
  14. track — a path
  15. club — for golf
  16. race — a contest
  17. shower — rain
  18. cue — a signal
  19. club — for dancing
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. tube — the underground
  22. chest — a box
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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