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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: tube · file · board · bay · ball · racket · cell · bat

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ball — a dance
  8. tube — a container
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tube — the underground

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