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

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. board — to get on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rest — a break
  6. row — a line
  7. rest — what's left
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. board — a committee
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cap — a hat
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cap — of ice
  18. row — to paddle
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. field — a subject
  21. plane — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. nail — on a finger

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