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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: wax · date · pitch · land · bay · safe

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. date — the fruit
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. land — ground
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. land — to come down
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. land — a country
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitch — completely

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