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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: board · stock · mine · bat · key · calf · staff · swing

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. swing — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. swing — in golf
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. key — the most important part
  23. staff — employees
  24. board — a committee

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