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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · cell · cold · date · pound · suit · roll · fan

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. key — in music
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. suit — in cards
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. key — the most important part
  24. suit — clothes

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