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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 116 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: bore · clip · bat · can · racket · bowl · board · net

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. board — a committee
  4. bore — to drill
  5. can — to be able to
  6. clip — to cut
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. clip — a video
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. board — to get on
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — in sport
  22. clip — for paper
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bore — to tire

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