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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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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: land · chest · key · lash · leaves · rest · board · stick

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. board — to get on
  6. key — in music
  7. chest — a box
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rest — a break
  10. chest — of your body
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — to come down
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rest — what's left
  18. board — a committee
  19. rest — what's left
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. land — a country
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. land — ground

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