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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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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: cue · key · present · dip · cold · wake · temple · band

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wake — a trail
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cue — a signal
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cold — not warm
  10. present — the time now
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. key — for a lock
  16. present — there
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. present — a gift
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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