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

Word bank: shower · game · pitch · bound · firm · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — obliged
  5. shower — rain
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bound — tied together
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitch — completely
  12. firm — a company
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bound — certain
  15. firm — steady
  16. board — a committee
  17. firm — decided
  18. game — a kind of play

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