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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: key · bank · kick · coach · season · stock · tube · cue

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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. cue — a hint
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stock — goods
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stock — shares
  11. tube — the underground
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bank — for money
  17. key — in music
  18. tube — a container
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kick — in football

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