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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
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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: chair · drill · prune · board · hand · pit · racket · can

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a hole
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — a tin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hand — help
  8. drill — a practice
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. board — a committee
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. board — to get on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chair — a leader
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — the tool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. drill — army training
  24. chair — to sit on

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