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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: mine · rash · toast · coach · roll · cue · key · kid

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cue — for pool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. toast — bread
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mine — for digging
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. roll — a list
  15. kid — child
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — for a lock

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