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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. key — for a lock
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitch — completely
  6. staff — a stick
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. board — to get on
  12. band — a ring
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. band — a music group
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. staff — employees
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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