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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.

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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: band · board · sharp · bowl · swing · net · track · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — after costs
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. track — a song
  5. sharp — clever
  6. swing — to play on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. band — a music group
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. band — a ring
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. swing — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. swing — in golf
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. board — to get on
  24. bowl — to roll

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