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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: court · bound · tube · content · board · plane · key · squash

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. tube — the underground
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. squash — the sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — for a lock
  10. court — of law
  11. bound — certain
  12. key — the most important part
  13. court — of a king
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — to get on
  16. key — in music
  17. bound — obliged
  18. plane — a tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. content — the amount
  21. squash — to crush
  22. content — happy
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bound — tied together

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