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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 · toast · can · stand · band · bank · content · ground

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — a position
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. band — a music group
  5. stand — to bear
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. can — to be able to
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. toast — bread
  17. bank — for money
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ground — the earth
  20. band — a ring
  21. ground — crushed
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitch — completely

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