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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: mate · game · foot · board · roll · bat · date · racket

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mate — to breed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mate — a partner
  7. roll — a list
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. game — a match
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. roll — a cake
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mate — a friend
  16. date — the fruit
  17. board — a committee
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. board — to get on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. board — a flat piece

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