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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. last — finally
  3. cap — of ice
  4. saw — the tool
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — final
  7. stem — to come from
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cap — a lid
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. board — to get on
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. last — to go on
  20. key — in music
  21. cap — a hat
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — the most important part

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