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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · cabinet · rock · mate · swing · scale · date · stick

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. board — to get on
  9. scale — in music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. swing — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rock — a stone
  15. board — a committee
  16. date — the fruit
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mate — to breed
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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