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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: wave · content · pitch · game · band · lie · key · court

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. game — wild animals
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. game — a match
  6. lie — to recline
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. band — a ring
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. band — a music group
  13. content — the amount
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. court — of law
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. court — of a king
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. content — happy
  23. court — for sport
  24. key — the most important part

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