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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — to get on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a hat
  9. scale — in music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tear — to rip
  12. spring — a coil
  13. key — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spring — of water
  24. cap — a lid

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