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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: temple · clip · dip · key · coach · cue · scale · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cue — for pool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cue — a hint
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. scale — in music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. scale — size or range
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. clip — a video
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. key — the most important part
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. key — in music

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