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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: board · pitch · fall · key · row · swing · temple · band

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. board — a committee
  3. fall — to drop
  4. board — to get on
  5. key — in music
  6. row — a line
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. key — the most important part
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. band — a ring
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. swing — in golf
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. swing — music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — completely
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fall — the season
  23. band — a music group
  24. temple — a place of worship

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