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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chest — a box
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. swing — to play on
  9. board — to get on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitch — completely
  14. swing — music
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — from a university
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. board — a committee
  24. mouse — the animal

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