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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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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: racket · bay · hand · bowl · can · nail · rash · board

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. can — a tin
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. board — to get on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hand — help
  21. can — a tin
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. racket — for tennis

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