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

Word bank: bay · content · key · lean · cabinet · face · swing · cap

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — the amount
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. key — in music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — to point toward
  14. lean — thin
  15. content — happy
  16. key — the most important part
  17. swing — in golf
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cap — a hat
  20. face — to confront
  21. lean — to bend
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cap — of ice
  24. swing — music

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