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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 116 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: hide · safe · content · swing · chair · key · cabinet · wake

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. key — in music
  5. swing — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chair — a leader
  9. content — happy
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. content — the amount
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chair — a professorship

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