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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · last · board · chair · swing · prune · key · band

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. swing — music
  3. band — a music group
  4. chair — a leader
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — the most important part
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a great time
  13. last — finally
  14. board — to get on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — to play on
  20. board — a committee
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. last — to go on
  24. key — in music

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