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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: board · capital · season · mouse · arm · pitcher

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. board — a committee
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — of the year
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — a city

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