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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: hide · spell · mark · swing · board · bass · squash · key

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bass — low music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. key — in music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. mark — a trace
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. swing — music
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mark — a grade
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. key — for a lock

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