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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: board · hand · swing · object · field · pitch · hide · firm

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. board — to get on
  5. field — for sport
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — a subject
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pitch — completely
  12. object — a thing
  13. hand — help
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. swing — music
  17. field — farmland
  18. board — a committee
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. swing — in golf
  23. object — to protest
  24. firm — a company

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