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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. board — a committee
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — to get on
  11. band — a ring
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. row — a line
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mark — a trace
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mark — a grade
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stem — to come from
  24. band — a music group

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