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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. stand — to bear
  3. key — for a lock
  4. root — of a plant
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — the most important part
  8. game — a match
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. root — the cause
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. swing — in golf
  15. key — in music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. swing — music
  18. board — to get on
  19. root — of a word
  20. row — a line
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. hide — animal skin

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