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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: board · nail · season · track · hand · foot · racket · bat

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. board — a committee
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. hand — help
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hand — in cards
  19. board — to get on
  20. track — a path
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. track — a song

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