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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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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 · cold · capital · staff · pitch · pound · fine · deal

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pitch — completely
  11. board — a committee
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cold — an illness
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fine — all right
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fine — high quality
  21. board — to get on
  22. capital — money
  23. staff — employees
  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