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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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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: racket · tear · bass · dip · board · stick · kid · court

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. tear — from crying
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — of a king
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. board — a committee
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. court — for sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. court — of law
  24. racket — for tennis

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