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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: pitch · safe · bore · hide · file · wave · content · band

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bore — to drill
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. content — happy
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a tool
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. band — a ring
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bore — to tire
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — a sports field

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