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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: swing · board · jam · rest · chest · key · wind · firm

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. firm — a company
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. swing — to play on
  8. key — in music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. rest — what's left
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. swing — music
  18. rest — a break
  19. board — to get on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. board — a committee
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. chest — a box

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