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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: toast · bat · jam · pitch · file · pitcher · safe · content

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. content — happy
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. toast — bread
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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