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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. key — in music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. board — to get on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ball — a dance
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. key — for a lock

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