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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: key · cue · race · hide · club · row · land · coach

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. club — for golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — a country
  8. club — a group
  9. race — the arms race
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. race — humankind
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — ground
  17. row — to paddle
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — a line
  21. key — in music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. race — a contest
  24. land — to come down

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