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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.

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: key · straw · cue · staff · bowl · cell · stock · hand

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cell — in biology
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cue — a signal
  8. staff — a stick
  9. key — for a lock
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — a phone
  17. key — in music
  18. stock — shares
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stock — goods
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. staff — employees

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