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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. object — a thing
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rock — music
  13. capital — money
  14. board — a committee
  15. object — to protest
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. board — to get on
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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