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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: firm · ball · wind · suit · pop · board · pitcher · ground

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. suit — to fit
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. firm — a company
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. firm — decided
  14. ground — the earth
  15. firm — steady
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pop — soda
  18. suit — clothes
  19. ground — a position
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. board — to get on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — music
  24. suit — in cards

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