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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: hide · content · kick · key · board · swing · shower · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. content — the amount
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — a friend
  6. content — happy
  7. board — to get on
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mate — a partner
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. board — a committee
  13. shower — rain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kick — in football
  19. key — the most important part
  20. swing — to play on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. key — in 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