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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: swing · rule · toast · pitch · board · cold · present · pitcher

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. present — there
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. present — a gift
  6. swing — music
  7. board — to get on
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rule — government
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. board — a committee
  14. swing — in golf
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rule — a law
  18. present — the time now
  19. toast — bread
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. swing — to play on

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