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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: ball · chip · cue · season · staff · trunk · clip · key

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. key — the most important part
  3. season — of the year
  4. cue — for pool
  5. key — for a lock
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cue — a signal
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — in music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chip — to eat
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cue — a hint
  24. season — to add flavour

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