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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 116 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 · spell · court · club · safe · ruler · capital · pitch

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. capital — money
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. club — a group
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. court — of a king
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. capital — a city
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spell — a short time
  19. court — of law
  20. club — for dancing
  21. board — to get on
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. club — for golf
  24. spell — letters

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