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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: sharp · plane · bat · pitcher · board · content · race · track

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. race — a contest
  3. track — a song
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. board — a committee
  6. race — the arms race
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — humankind
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — to keep track
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. sharp — clever
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. bat — the animal

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