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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. court — for sport
  4. land — to come down
  5. row — a line
  6. board — to get on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. land — ground
  10. board — a committee
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. court — of a king
  14. cap — of ice
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. land — a country
  19. court — of law
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cap — a hat

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