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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. board — a committee
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bank — for money
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stock — shares
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stock — goods
  19. band — a music group
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. last — to go on
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stock — a soup base

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