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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. scale — in music
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. key — for a lock
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — a series
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. board — to get on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. scale — size or range
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. swing — music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chair — a leader
  23. swing — to play on
  24. row — a line

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