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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 · band · pop · fall · cabinet · season · hand · racket

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. hand — in cards
  3. season — of the year
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pop — soda
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. band — a music group
  10. fall — the season
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. pop — music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. board — a committee
  17. fall — to drop
  18. band — a ring
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — help
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pop — to visit
  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