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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 · season · bound · board · chest · fan · track · mark

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a committee
  3. mark — a trace
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — certain
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. track — to keep track
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a song
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chest — a box
  23. mark — a grade
  24. board — to get on

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