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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: mark · pitcher · chest · sharp · racket · board · tube · roll

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. chest — a box
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tube — a container
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — a committee
  13. mark — a trace
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. roll — a cake
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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