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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: row · bore · board · tear · key · swing · content · mate

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — to breed
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bore — to drill
  11. content — happy
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mate — a partner
  15. swing — music
  16. board — to get on
  17. row — a line
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mate — a friend
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. content — the amount
  24. key — for a lock

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