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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.

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: racket · board · bat · toast · plane · wound · shower · mouse

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. plane — a tool
  7. board — to get on
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. toast — bread
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. board — a committee
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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