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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. file — a line of people
  3. capital — money
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. court — of law
  13. face — to point toward
  14. board — to get on
  15. roll — a list
  16. court — for sport
  17. roll — a cake
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. face — to confront
  20. charge — in control
  21. court — of a king
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. capital — a city

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