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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: content · rock · file · pitch · ground · fall · arm · mate

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mate — a partner
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. content — happy
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — a stone
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ground — crushed
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. content — the amount
  21. ground — a position
  22. rock — music
  23. file — a tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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