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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: foot · bark · arm · board · fan · racket · land · ground

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ground — a position
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ground — crushed
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ground — the earth
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. land — ground
  24. fan — to cool the air

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