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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 116 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: board · racket · kick · hand · perch · lie · rest · pitcher

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. board — to get on
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a committee
  9. rest — a break
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hand — in cards
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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