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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cue — a hint
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a signal
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — a gift
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chest — a box
  11. board — to get on
  12. fall — the season
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kick — in football
  19. present — there
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. fall — to drop

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