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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 · cold · bound · court · cue · deal · pop · wax

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pop — music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. key — for a lock
  10. court — for sport
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bound — certain
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pop — soda
  17. cue — a signal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cold — an illness
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cue — a hint
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. court — of law
  24. key — in music

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