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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pop — music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. deal — to handle
  11. drill — a practice
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. key — for a lock
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — in music
  18. staff — employees
  19. board — to get on
  20. drill — army training
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. board — a committee

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