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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: fan · swing · suit · ground · bound · board · pitch · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. swing — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. suit — in cards
  9. swing — in golf
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bound — obliged
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bound — tied together
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pitch — completely
  24. board — a flat piece

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