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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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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 · pitch · nail · bowl · mate · bay · pound · capital

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. capital — a city
  3. board — to get on
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. board — a committee
  10. mate — a partner
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — money
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pound — to hit hard

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