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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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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: can · swing · race · rule · deal · fall · board · key

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. race — humankind
  5. can — a tin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rule — government
  8. board — a committee
  9. can — to be able to
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. race — a contest
  13. board — to get on
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. swing — music
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rule — a law
  24. can — a tin

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