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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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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: mug · current · pitch · game · kick · hand · cap · board

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. current — electric
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — happening now
  7. mug — to rob
  8. game — a match
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. current — of water
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. hand — in cards
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kick — in football
  19. game — wild animals
  20. board — a committee
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hand — help
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mug — a cup

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