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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 120 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: pitch · ruler · mark · board · stock · tear · rash · swing

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stock — shares
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. swing — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — goods
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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