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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitch — completely
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. swing — music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. capital — money
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cabinet — ministers

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