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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: ground · content · pitch · safe · current · ball · net · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ball — a dance
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — the amount
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ground — the earth
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ball — a great time
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ground — crushed
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. content — happy
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — in sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitch — completely
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. net — for catching
  24. safe — out of danger

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