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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: wind · racket · board · bound · cue · game · band · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. game — a match
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cue — a signal
  6. band — a ring
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. board — a committee
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — a hint
  11. board — to get on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — for pool
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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