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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: bear · content · chair · cabinet · season · key · nail · staff

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. key — in music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. staff — employees
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. season — of the year
  10. content — the amount
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. staff — employees
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chair — a leader
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. season — in sport

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