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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. craft — a skill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. board — a committee
  9. content — the amount
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. net — after costs
  14. craft — boats
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. net — in sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. leaves — to go away

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