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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: chip · roll · season · bat · sharp · board · racket · pound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. roll — a cake
  4. board — a committee
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — of the year
  8. bat — the animal
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. roll — a list
  21. board — to get on
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — a weight

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