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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: coach · kick · content · foot · key · cabinet · hide · capital

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — the amount
  4. foot — a measure
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — in football
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. capital — a city
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. content — happy
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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