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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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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: lean · pitch · ground · roll · board · hand · row · content

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lean — to bend
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — a committee
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — completely
  15. roll — a cake
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. roll — a list
  18. hand — in cards
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. hand — help
  21. ground — crushed
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. ground — a position
  24. board — to get on

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