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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: kid · deal · pitcher · safe · wind · cap · pass · mine

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cap — a lid
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. deal — to handle
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — for digging
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — of ice
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. safe — a strongbox

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