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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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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 · cold · wax · roll · pitch · stand · present · key

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. roll — a list
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cold — an illness
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wax — to grow
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — a hint
  13. roll — a cake
  14. present — there
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cue — for pool
  24. key — the most important part

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