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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
468
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: hand · firm · racket · kid · board · bat · fan · wake

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. board — a committee
  7. hand — in cards
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — a trail
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. firm — decided
  12. kid — child
  13. hand — help
  14. firm — steady
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. firm — a company
  21. board — to get on
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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