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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — certain
  10. bass — low music
  11. rest — a break
  12. board — to get on
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. key — in music
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rest — what's left

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