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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: present · field · bore · pitch · shower · lie · safe · mine

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitch — completely
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. present — a gift
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mine — for digging
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. field — for sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lie — to recline
  24. safe — out of danger

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