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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. net — after costs
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. club — for dancing
  14. board — a committee
  15. club — for golf
  16. board — to get on
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. net — for catching
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stand — to bear
  24. net — in sport

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