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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 · file · land · board · can · arm · current · wound

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. current — electric
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. file — a tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. current — happening now
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. land — ground
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. can — to be able to
  13. file — a document
  14. board — to get on
  15. land — a country
  16. current — of water
  17. can — a tin
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. land — to come down
  21. pitch — completely
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wound — an injury

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