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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — a series
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — a committee
  8. rash — hasty
  9. capital — a city
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stand — to bear
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. capital — money
  18. board — to get on
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rash — on the skin

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