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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
468
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: land · lie · cue · cold · wax · fine · key · straw

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — a hint
  5. land — a country
  6. fine — all right
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. key — in music
  9. land — ground
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cold — an illness
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cold — not warm

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