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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · spring · cap · key · fan · bound · rest · cue

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cue — a signal
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chest — a box
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chest — of your body
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spring — of water
  14. rest — a break
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chest — of your body

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