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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: chest · tube · rest · pop · squash · key · kid · board

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — child
  3. tube — a container
  4. board — to get on
  5. pop — to visit
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. key — in music
  10. pop — soda
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chest — of your body
  13. board — a committee
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rest — a break
  17. chest — of your body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chest — a box
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rest — what's left
  22. squash — the sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. key — for a lock

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