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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. club — for golf
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rock — a stone
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — money
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. capital — a city
  15. rock — music
  16. kid — child
  17. club — a group
  18. rock — to move gently

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