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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: chair · content · cabinet · board · face · tube · key · pound

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. content — happy
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. key — the most important part
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. key — in music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. board — a committee
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — the amount
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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