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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: chest · snap · mine · key · cabinet · coach · bay · trunk

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. snap — to click
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chest — of your body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. key — in music
  14. chest — a box
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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