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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · date · coach · file · staff · cell · bank · content

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — happy
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. file — a document
  11. bank — for money
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. file — a tool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. key — in music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. content — the amount
  23. file — a line of people
  24. staff — a stick

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