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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: lean · racket · board · mark · swing · wound · drill · court

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — music
  3. board — a committee
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — for sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lean — thin
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mark — a grade
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. drill — army training
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. swing — to play on

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