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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitch · mate · current · field · wave · can · content · bowl

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — a subject
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. field — farmland
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. field — for sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. content — the amount
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. current — electric

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