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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — a country
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. land — to come down
  9. mate — a partner
  10. capital — a city
  11. shower — to wash
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fine — high quality
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. capital — money
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fine — all right
  20. land — ground
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitch — completely
  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.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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