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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 116 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: racket · board · land · band · mug · deal · season · cell

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. board — to get on
  4. land — a country
  5. cell — a phone
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. season — of the year
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mug — a cup
  10. board — a committee
  11. land — ground
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. band — a music group
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. land — to come down
  18. cell — in biology
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mug — a face
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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