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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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Word bank
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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: key · rock · cue · season · root · ball

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rock — a stone
  5. season — in sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cue — a signal
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rock — music
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cue — for pool

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