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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · march · board · firm · file · racket · pitch · land

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — music
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. firm — a company
  9. land — to come down
  10. board — a committee
  11. land — ground
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. content — happy
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — a country
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitch — completely
  21. board — to get on
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. firm — steady
  24. racket — a loud noise

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