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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: board · key · capital · swing · press · staff · net · wind

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — a committee
  4. net — for catching
  5. swing — music
  6. press — newspapers
  7. staff — a stick
  8. key — the most important part
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. press — to push
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — a city
  13. key — in music
  14. net — in sport
  15. capital — money
  16. wind — moving air
  17. staff — employees
  18. board — to get on
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — for a lock
  21. swing — in golf
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. net — after costs
  24. press — a publisher

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