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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 124 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. key — for a lock
  4. board — a committee
  5. firm — steady
  6. band — a music group
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — for golf
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. club — a group
  12. key — the most important part
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. board — to get on
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. club — for dancing
  20. band — a ring
  21. firm — a company
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. firm — decided
  24. foot — a measure

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