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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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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 · key · season · bay · bank · net · cell · clip

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. clip — to cut
  7. net — for catching
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cell — a phone
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — in sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — of the year
  16. net — after costs
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. key — in music
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bank — for money
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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