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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: key · pop · cabinet · face · board · court · press · racket

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to confront
  4. board — a committee
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pop — music
  7. court — of law
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. key — in music
  11. court — for sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pop — to visit
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. court — of a king
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — to push
  22. pop — soda
  23. press — newspapers
  24. racket — a loud noise

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