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

Word bank: safe · bore · net · kid · racket · face · pitch · bat

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. kid — child
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitch — completely
  13. net — in sport
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — after costs
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bat — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. face — to confront
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — to tease

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