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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · kid · date · safe · spell · pitcher

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spell — letters
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. spell — magic
  12. kid — child
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — to tease
  18. safe — a strongbox

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