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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: cue · rule · lean · club · cold · roll · pass · key

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. key — the most important part
  3. club — a group
  4. key — in music
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rule — a law
  9. key — for a lock
  10. roll — a list
  11. rule — government
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pass — a permit
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cold — not warm

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