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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: net · hand · present · ball · bat · board · coach · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. net — in sport
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — to get on
  7. hand — help
  8. ball — a dance
  9. present — a gift
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. board — a committee
  22. net — after costs
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. coach — a trainer

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