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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. net — after costs
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — for catching
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — the animal
  22. last — final
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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