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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: racket · fork · kick · swing · bore · board · file · ball

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ball — a great time
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. swing — music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. board — to get on
  13. bore — to drill
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. file — a document
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ball — a dance
  24. swing — to play on

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