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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: face · bank · bat · hand · chip · sharp · board · racket

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. face — to point toward
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. board — a committee
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bank — for money
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. board — to get on
  17. face — part of the head
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to confront
  20. chip — to eat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. board — a flat piece

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