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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 120 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: file · arm · pitch · racket · wind · row · bank · board

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bank — for money
  8. row — to paddle
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. row — a line
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. file — a line of people
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. file — a document
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. file — a tool

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