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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. board — to get on
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. roll — a list
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. board — a committee
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — shares
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rock — music
  21. season — in sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — help
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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