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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. spring — of water
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spring — a coil
  9. board — a committee
  10. net — after costs
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. club — for golf
  13. net — for catching
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. land — to come down
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — to get on
  21. club — for dancing
  22. spring — the season
  23. deal — to handle
  24. club — a group

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