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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: pitch · wind · deal · bowl · fan · safe · degree · key

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. key — the most important part
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. key — in music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. deal — to handle
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitch — completely
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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