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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · swing · capital · lean · pitch · pass · board · bark

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. board — to get on
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — a match
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. swing — music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — money
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. game — wild animals
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lean — thin
  23. board — a committee
  24. capital — a city

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