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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stand — to bear
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a committee
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fine — high quality
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fine — all right
  21. board — to get on
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chest — a box
  24. board — a flat piece

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