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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: bat · bank · safe · pitch · content · band · ground · arm

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bat — the animal
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bank — of a river
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. content — the amount
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pitch — completely
  16. band — a music group
  17. content — happy
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — a position
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ground — the earth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bank — for money

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