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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 120 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: deal · racket · net · board · chair · snap · cue · bat

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. board — a committee
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cue — a signal
  5. net — after costs
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cue — for pool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. net — for catching
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. board — to get on
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cue — a hint
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. snap — to click
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chair — a professorship

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