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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mark — a grade
  4. board — to get on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. capital — a city
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. capital — money
  17. ground — a position
  18. mug — a face
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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