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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. swing — to play on
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. dip — to sink
  7. net — in sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. scale — size or range
  12. band — a music group
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. net — for catching
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. scale — in music
  18. band — a ring
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — in football
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kick — a thrill

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