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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: chip · key · coach · content · shower · snap · chest · suit

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. suit — clothes
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — in music
  6. content — happy
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. key — the most important part
  9. snap — to click
  10. shower — to wash
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chip — for betting
  13. shower — rain
  14. content — the amount
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chest — of your body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. suit — in cards

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