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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: safe · rash · wave · wind · content · pitch · arm · field

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wind — moving air
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. field — farmland
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — happy
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — hasty
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. field — a subject
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — a series
  21. content — the amount
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. content — videos and posts

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