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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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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: toast · pitch · hand · content · racket · squash · board · drill

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. drill — the tool
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — in cards
  6. board — a committee
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. content — the amount
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. drill — a practice
  12. content — happy
  13. pitch — completely
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. drill — army training
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. toast — bread
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. board — to get on
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hand — help

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