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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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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: club · arm · pitcher · content · pitch · cabinet · hide · bank

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — happy
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bank — of a river
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — completely

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