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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. board — to get on
  3. bound — certain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. ground — crushed
  8. land — ground
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. land — to come down
  11. clip — to cut
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bound — tied together
  17. board — a committee
  18. land — a country
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — a video
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — a position
  24. bound — obliged

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