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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: coach · straw · pop · tear · bass · cue · key · chip

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — the fish
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pop — soda
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pop — music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. key — in music
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cue — a hint
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bass — low music

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