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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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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: pit · kick · roll · board · racket · game · wake · patient

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. roll — a cake
  5. game — a match
  6. roll — a list
  7. wake — a trail
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. game — wild animals
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pit — a hole
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pit — in a race
  24. game — a kind of play

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