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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: date · present · row · staff · board · key · perch · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. staff — employees
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. key — in music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. present — the time now
  11. date — the fruit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. perch — the fish
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. board — a committee
  18. key — the most important part
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — to paddle
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — humankind
  24. row — a line

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