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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: tear · cue · date · key · coach · bound · net · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — in sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. last — final
  14. key — the most important part
  15. net — for catching
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cue — a signal
  22. last — to go on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — after costs

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