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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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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: game · board · row · cap · key · stick · swing · club

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. club — a group
  3. key — the most important part
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for dancing
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cap — of ice
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cap — a hat
  15. game — wild animals
  16. club — for golf
  17. key — for a lock
  18. board — a committee
  19. row — to paddle
  20. swing — music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. swing — to play on
  23. key — in music
  24. game — a match

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