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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: jam · mark · cap · roll · racket · board · scale · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. board — a committee
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cap — a hat
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. roll — a list
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cap — a lid
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — to get on
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. scale — in music
  24. mark — a grade

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