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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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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: bay · pop · deal · board · bat · kick · cell · band

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. board — to get on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. band — a ring
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. board — a committee
  9. pop — soda
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bat — the animal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. kick — in football
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pop — music

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