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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: craft · board · march · rush · straw · mine · ground · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — the earth
  3. march — the month
  4. ground — a position
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. march — the month
  7. craft — a skill
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. march — music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — a committee
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. board — to get on
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mine — for digging
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. craft — boats
  24. straw — a straw man

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