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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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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: field · safe · fine · cue · dip · pitch · last · tear

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. last — to go on
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — all right
  6. pitch — completely
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. last — final
  10. cue — a hint
  11. dip — to sink
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cue — a signal
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. last — finally
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cue — for pool

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