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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 · ground · mark · safe · last · fine · cap · kid

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — to go on
  3. ground — a position
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cap — a hat
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — all right
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. kid — child
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. last — finally
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — crushed
  22. last — final
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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