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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: club · perch · bound · bass · wind · key · board · kick

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. perch — the fish
  3. kick — in football
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bass — low music
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wind — moving air
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — the fish
  16. board — to get on
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. board — a committee
  19. bound — tied together
  20. key — in music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. club — a group

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