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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: cue · band · lean · mark · cold · key · hide · pop

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pop — soda
  3. lean — to bend
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — in music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cold — an illness
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pop — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cue — a signal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. band — a music group
  21. lean — thin
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mark — a trace

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