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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: key · fan · row · leaves · racket · shower · board · march

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — in music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. board — to get on
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. key — the most important part
  24. shower — rain

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