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

Word bank: race · swing · mug · board · pitch · kick

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. swing — music
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. race — the arms race
  9. swing — to play on
  10. board — to get on
  11. mug — a face
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — completely
  15. board — a committee
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. kick — in football

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