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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: key · cell · rock · wake · row · land · stick · cue

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rock — music
  3. cell — in biology
  4. key — the most important part
  5. land — ground
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. row — a line
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rock — a stone
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cell — a phone
  13. row — to paddle
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. land — a country
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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