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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: spring · content · bulb · hand · pitch · fine · pitcher · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. content — the amount
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — in cards

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