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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wind — moving air
  9. key — in music
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. last — to go on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kick — in football
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. last — final
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. last — finally
  24. stand — on your feet

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