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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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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: march · field · board · tear · safe · pitcher · pitch · capital

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. board — to get on
  3. capital — money
  4. march — the month
  5. field — for sport
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. capital — a city
  15. march — the month
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. field — a subject
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tear — to rip
  24. safe — out of danger

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