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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: key · kick · band · board · ruler · nail · last · field

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. key — in music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — to go on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. band — a music group
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. key — the most important part
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. key — for a lock
  15. board — to get on
  16. field — for sport
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — final
  19. band — a ring
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. kick — in football

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