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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.

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: toast · board · chip · mine · squash · spring · chest · key

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. board — to get on
  5. spring — of water
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mine — for digging
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. toast — bread
  17. key — in music
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — the most important part
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. key — for a lock
  24. board — a committee

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