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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. pit — in a race
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chest — a box
  16. scale — in music
  17. cap — of ice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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