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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: pitcher · chip · safe · pitch · ground · wound · mine · board

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. board — a committee
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — completely
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mine — for digging

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