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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: mate · rest · swing · cold · board · key · hide · ball

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mate — a friend
  8. board — a committee
  9. rest — a break
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mate — to breed
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ball — a great time
  23. board — to get on
  24. rest — what's left

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