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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 116 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: board · press · fan · pitch · land · bear · saw · capital

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitch — completely
  6. capital — money
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. board — to get on
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fan — a supporter

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