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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: kick · cell · safe · march · fine · pitch · mine · swing

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. march — the month
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. march — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. swing — music
  14. kick — in football
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. march — the month
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitch — completely
  24. swing — to play on

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