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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: sharp · mine · court · cold · cue · cabinet · key · mark

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cold — an illness
  9. key — in music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. court — of a king
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mark — a trace
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a signal
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mark — a grade
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cue — for pool

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