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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
468
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: pitcher · ball · pitch · swing · stick · nail · board · cold

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — music
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — to get on
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cold — an illness
  24. board — a flat piece

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