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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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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: hide · racket · race · arm · board · pound · mine · pitcher

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mine — for digging
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. race — the arms race
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. board — to get on
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. board — a committee
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — animal skin

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