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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: bound · mate · pitch · board · nail · land · mine · key

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. key — in music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. land — a country
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. land — to come down
  14. bound — obliged
  15. land — ground
  16. mine — for digging
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bound — certain
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mate — a partner

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