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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: stick · safe · bat · game · plane · fall · rest · pitch

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fall — the season
  3. game — a match
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — wild animals
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — the animal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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