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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. key — the most important part
  3. season — in sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lean — thin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. key — in music
  9. season — of the year
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. rush — hurry
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. object — a thing
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lean — to bend
  23. field — a subject
  24. lean — to rest against

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