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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. board — a committee
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. dip — to sink
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — in control
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hand — in cards
  23. charge — a price
  24. spring — a coil

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