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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · dip · ball · hand · key · chest · mate · content

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hand — help
  4. chest — of your body
  5. content — the amount
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mate — a friend
  9. key — for a lock
  10. content — happy
  11. hand — in cards
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. key — in music
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — the most important part

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