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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 120 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: bound · firm · cue · ground · key · rush · cold · plane

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. cold — not warm
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bound — tied together
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. plane — a tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ground — a position
  23. firm — steady
  24. plane — in geometry

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