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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 120 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: bowl · board · bat · swing · fine · key · net · spell

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. swing — music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. key — in music
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. net — in sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. net — after costs
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fine — all right
  18. net — for catching
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fine — high quality

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