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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. field — farmland
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — for catching
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. net — in sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. field — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — a subject
  22. board — a committee
  23. net — after costs
  24. racket — for tennis

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