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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: nail · safe · chair · racket · wind · drill · jam · pitch

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitch — completely
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. drill — a practice
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chair — a leader

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