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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. board — a committee
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — for sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. board — to get on
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. key — in music
  11. bound — certain
  12. bore — to tire
  13. last — final
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — farmland
  16. key — the most important part
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — low music
  21. rash — a series
  22. field — a subject
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bore — gave birth

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