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

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fine — all right
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rock — music
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — temperature
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rock — a stone
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. calf — a young animal

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