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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · row · board · racket · game · nail · land · fall

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. board — to get on
  3. row — a line
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. land — to come down
  9. board — a committee
  10. game — a match
  11. fall — the season
  12. land — a country
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — wild animals
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. deal — to handle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. nail — on a finger

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