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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: ground · pitch · wake · cell · drill · content · arm · mark

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cell — a phone
  4. content — the amount
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — a trail
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. content — happy
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitch — completely

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