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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: firm · pass · pitch · board · swing · game · bowl · hand

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. board — a committee
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. game — a match
  11. firm — a company
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. firm — steady
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. board — to get on

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