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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: face · jam · key · club · chest · last · content · mark

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chest — of your body
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chest — of your body
  6. club — for dancing
  7. face — to confront
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. club — a group
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. key — for a lock
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. club — for golf
  18. mark — a grade
  19. content — happy
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. last — finally
  23. key — in music
  24. content — the amount

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