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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 · wound · ground · board · safe · jam · wax · squash

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — crushed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ground — a position
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — completely
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. squash — the sport
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. board — a committee
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. board — to get on

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