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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: nail · board · cap · racket · stock · field · bat · bound

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — farmland
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. field — for sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. bound — tied together
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — a subject
  17. stock — goods
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bat — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cap — of ice

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