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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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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: track · content · bat · charge · bank · temple · pitch · wind

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bat — the animal
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. charge — in control
  15. track — a path
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitch — completely
  19. content — the amount
  20. wind — moving air
  21. content — happy
  22. charge — a price
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. track — a song

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