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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: squash · cue · temple · kick · hand · key · root · game

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. key — the most important part
  3. game — a match
  4. hand — help
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. key — in music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. root — of a word
  15. cue — a hint
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. kick — in football
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cue — a signal
  23. game — wild animals
  24. root — the cause

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