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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: mate · coach · hand · board · racket · game · chest · bark

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — to breed
  4. game — a match
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hand — help
  17. chest — a box
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bark — to shout
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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