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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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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: perch · pound · drill · kick · racket · board · mate · deal

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mate — a friend
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. board — a committee
  5. pound — a weight
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. board — to get on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. drill — army training
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kick — in football
  24. drill — the tool

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