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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · rest · march · cap · swing · board

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. swing — music
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — a lid
  8. march — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. cap — a hat
  14. march — the month
  15. rest — what's left
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rest — what's left

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