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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 120 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 · key · cabinet · board · capital · current · dip · rush

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. current — electric
  5. key — for a lock
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rush — hurry
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. key — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. board — a committee
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. capital — money
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. current — happening now
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. chest — a box

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