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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.

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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: game · cabinet · board · chest · ball · nail · pitcher · racket

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ball — a great time
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. board — to get on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. board — a committee
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — a box

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