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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. can — to be able to
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wind — moving air
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cue — a hint
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — to get on
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cue — for pool
  17. can — a tin
  18. cue — a signal
  19. board — a committee
  20. row — a line
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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