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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. key — for a lock
  3. kick — in football
  4. key — the most important part
  5. press — to push
  6. vault — a safe
  7. season — of the year
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. key — in music
  17. season — in sport
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — newspapers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kick — with a leg

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