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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: key · foot · club · board · pitch · season · hand · swing

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitch — completely
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. season — in sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — for a lock
  17. swing — music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. season — of the year
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. foot — a measure
  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