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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: wound · chest · content · track · key · staff · board · fine

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. key — for a lock
  3. board — a committee
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — to keep track
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chest — a box
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. staff — employees
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — all right
  19. track — a song
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — in music
  22. content — the amount
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — a stick

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