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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: roll · saw · pitch · current · band · stick · rest · content

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a ring
  7. roll — a list
  8. rest — a break
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. content — the amount
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a music group
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. content — happy
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. roll — a cake
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — the tool
  24. roll — on a roll

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