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

Word bank: snap · board · chair · bat · deal · bowl · key · last

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. key — the most important part
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. last — to go on
  10. board — to get on
  11. bat — the animal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. last — final
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. snap — to click
  22. last — finally
  23. board — a committee
  24. deal — to handle

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