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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: mouse · chest · track · cell · wave · pitch · safe · file

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cell — in biology
  5. track — to keep track
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. file — a document
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. track — a song
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. track — a path

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