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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. board — to get on
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. swing — to play on
  11. object — an aim
  12. swing — in golf
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. deal — to handle
  18. swing — music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hand — help
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. board — a committee

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