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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: cue · lie · bound · last · key · march · staff · degree

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. staff — employees
  2. bound — tied together
  3. key — for a lock
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — the month
  6. last — final
  7. bound — certain
  8. last — finally
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bound — obliged
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cue — a signal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cue — for pool
  21. march — music
  22. lie — to recline
  23. key — the most important part
  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