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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fork — in a road
  3. key — in music
  4. last — final
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — a match
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bass — low music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. key — for a lock
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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