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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 120 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: sharp · bank · pitch · ball · object · club · face · content

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bank — of a river
  4. club — for golf
  5. bank — for money
  6. club — for dancing
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. object — an aim
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — a group
  14. pitch — completely
  15. object — a thing
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. object — to protest
  18. face — part of the head
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bank — for money
  21. content — the amount
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. face — to confront
  24. content — happy

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