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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. band — a music group
  9. key — for a lock
  10. swing — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. squash — the sport
  15. key — in music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. vault — a safe
  18. swing — in golf
  19. board — to get on
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. board — a committee

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