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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cold — an illness
  4. charge — electricity
  5. key — for a lock
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wake — a trail
  15. charge — in control
  16. bass — low music
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. charge — a price
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. tear — to rip

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