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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 116 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: pass · club · racket · cell · deal · drill · face · board

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. face — to confront
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. board — to get on
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. club — for golf
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. face — part of the head
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cell — in biology
  21. deal — to handle
  22. drill — the tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. face — to point toward

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