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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: roll · hide · bat · foot · board · pit · game · tear

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. board — to get on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. roll — a cake
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. foot — a measure
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. board — a committee
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bat — the animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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