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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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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: hide · mate · capital · safe · bat · fan · cell · pitch

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — to breed
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. capital — money
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitch — completely
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. capital — a city
  24. fan — a supporter

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