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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: band · pitcher · pitch · club · content · board · cell · bulb

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. club — a group
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — the amount
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. board — to get on
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. board — a committee
  24. club — for golf

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