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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: board · firm · swing · coach · pass · key · wind · rule

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. board — to get on
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. firm — decided
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rule — government
  12. swing — to play on
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — a law
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. swing — music
  20. firm — a company
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. coach — a trainer

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