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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 · patient · foot · pitch · race · kid · cap · craft

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. kid — child
  3. board — a committee
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. race — humankind
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cap — of ice
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — to tease
  16. race — the arms race
  17. craft — a skill
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. race — a contest
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pitch — completely
  24. foot — the bottom

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