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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: pitch · board · drill · capital · club · pitcher · key · mug

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. key — for a lock
  12. board — a committee
  13. mug — a cup
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — to get on
  16. pitch — completely
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. club — a group
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mug — a face
  24. drill — a practice

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