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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · march · bat · fan · mug · racket · board · cap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cap — a hat
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. board — a committee
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. cap — of ice
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mug — a cup

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