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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fall — the season
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — soda
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pop — music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chest — a box
  15. fall — to drop
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. fall — to drop
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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