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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: wind · board · saw · pitcher · jam · deal · pitch · tube

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitch — completely
  21. board — to get on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. jam — in traffic

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