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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fine — all right
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. board — to get on
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. board — a committee
  10. swing — to play on
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. swing — music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. key — for a lock
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. drill — army training
  21. craft — boats
  22. key — in music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. drill — a practice

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