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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 · board · bound · firm · spell · swing · hide · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. firm — decided
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bound — obliged
  5. firm — a company
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mine — for digging
  8. board — a committee
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — magic
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bound — certain
  14. spell — a short time
  15. firm — steady
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. swing — music
  19. spell — letters
  20. bound — tied together
  21. swing — in golf
  22. key — in music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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