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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: key · court · cabinet · cold · board · mate · cue · squash

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. key — for a lock
  3. board — a committee
  4. cold — an illness
  5. court — of law
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cue — a signal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — of a king
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. board — to get on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cue — a hint
  22. squash — the sport
  23. key — in music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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