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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 120 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: pitch · face · net · bear · bat · content · kid · safe

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — for catching
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — after costs
  5. content — the amount
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. net — in sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bat — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kid — child
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. face — to confront
  24. content — happy

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