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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 120 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: firm · ground · key · stick · cue · cell · wake · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. key — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wake — a trail
  9. firm — steady
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. firm — a company
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cue — a signal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. firm — decided
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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