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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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468
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: ball · season · board · mine · racket · fall · pitcher · nail

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ball — a dance
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. board — to get on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — a committee
  24. ball — a great time

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