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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: last · club · key · cold · rest · suit · wave · mark

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cold — not warm
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. club — for golf
  5. suit — to fit
  6. last — finally
  7. mark — a trace
  8. key — in music
  9. last — final
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — to go on
  15. mark — a grade
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rest — what's left
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rest — a break
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. club — a group

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