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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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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 · swing · degree · board · drill · bay · charge · row

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. board — to get on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. row — to paddle
  7. swing — to play on
  8. drill — army training
  9. charge — electricity
  10. swing — in golf
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. drill — a practice
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. row — a line
  16. key — in music
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. degree — temperature
  20. swing — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. board — a committee
  24. degree — from a university

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