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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: content · coach · board · roll · swing · racket · chest · plane

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. board — to get on
  5. plane — a tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. content — happy
  10. swing — in golf
  11. content — the amount
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chest — of your body
  19. board — a committee
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. swing — music
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. roll — a list
  24. plane — in geometry

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