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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: key · current · swing · mine · file · field · tube · board

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. file — a tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — farmland
  5. current — happening now
  6. board — a committee
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — electric
  10. tube — a container
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. file — a line of people
  15. current — of water
  16. file — a document
  17. swing — to play on
  18. key — in music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. key — the most important part
  21. board — to get on
  22. tube — the underground
  23. swing — music
  24. field — a subject

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