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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: staff · bat · row · band · board · can · pitch · rest

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a ring
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitch — completely
  10. staff — a stick
  11. board — to get on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rest — a break
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — for baseball

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