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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: bat · row · present · key · bulb · roll · fine · board

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. board — to get on
  6. bat — the animal
  7. row — to paddle
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — the time now
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. board — a committee
  15. fine — all right
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fine — high quality
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. row — a line
  22. present — there
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — a list

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