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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 120 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: safe · bat · track · fan · pitch · saw · row · press

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. press — to push
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. track — a path
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bat — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pitch — completely
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. row — to paddle
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. press — newspapers
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — to cool the air

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