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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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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: cue · stand · date · key · jam · cold · kick · hand

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. key — the most important part
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cold — an illness
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cue — a hint
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cue — a signal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. kick — in football
  20. key — in music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hand — help
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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