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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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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: ball · rock · board · chair · lean · land · ground · key

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — a country
  4. board — a committee
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rock — music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. land — ground
  10. key — in music
  11. board — to get on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lean — thin
  16. land — to come down
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — a position
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rock — a stone
  24. chair — to sit on

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